Automatic hen&#39;s nest.



Patented J an. 7, 1913.

i, Inventor Attorneys 3 4 fl/A 7 uw f L o, 0 $5 J. S. JORDAN.

AUTOMATIC HENS NEST. APPLICATION FILED APR.1'7, 1911. 1,049,728.

69/ I 12 Q Q \x O .1 Z \WQ 1 Q WU W J r T v.,/. o a o u m 1 w T, 1 f0 OO x 49 125? k/VK/W a Z ,x/ 6 4/ 62* m O W\ L G O Z %J 7E Z T Z E m fl zf j 3 JAMES S. JORDAN, 0F STAUNTON, VIRGINIA- AUTOMATIC min s nns'r.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 17, 1911. Serial No. 621,507.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that 1, JAMES S. JORDAN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Staunton, in the county ofAugusta and State of Virginia, have inventedanew and useful AutomaticHens Nest, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of this invention to provide a nest, having pivotallymounted doors, and to provide means actuable by the animal entering thenest, to close one of said doors, and to open the other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a nest of the characterabove specified, so constructed that one of its doors, at the will ofthe operator, may be made inoperable by the tiltable member, andto'provide a locking means for engaging the other door, whereby, whenthe animal has once entered the nest, egress therefrom will beimpossible, saving when one of the doors is opened by the operator.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of co struction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of inven tion herein disclosed can be made within the scopeof what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figures 1 and 2 are longitudinal sections;Fig. 3 is a section on the line A.--B of Fig. 1-; Fig. 1 is an endelevation.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a primary andfundamental element, a case 1 having a lid 2 which, if desired, may behingedly connected with the case 1, as shown at 3. The case 1 isprovided in its opposite ends with a front door-way t, and with a. reardoor-way 7. Connected with the side walls of the case 1, and extendedacross the front door-way 4, is a rod 5, upon which is pivoted,intermediate its ends, a vertically moving front door '6, there beinginwardlyextended lugs-6 upon the front door 6, passes. A rod 8,.terminally connected with the side walls of the case 1,-is extendedacross therear door-way 7 ,end upon this rod 8 is pivoted forverticalswinging movement, the rear door 9, there being inwardly projecting lugs9 upon the rear door,

through which lugs the rod 8 passes.

' are pivotally through which lugs therod 5 In the. side walls of thecase 1, adjacent the bottom thereof, there are spaced openings 10 and11, into which is removably inserted, a rod 12, upon which is fulcrumed,intermediate its ends, and within the case 1,

Patented Jan. 7.1913".

a tiltable member, denoted generally by the numeral 14 The front end ofthe tiltable member 1s 1s fashioned into a platform 15, hereinafterreferred to as the front perch.

The rear end of the tiltable member 1 1, is

depressed to form the nest 16, the nest being, if desired, perforated,as shown. Projecting.

rearwardly from the nest portion 16 of the tiltable member, are rods 20,moving in slots 21 in the rear wall of the case 1, the protruding endsof the rods 20 carrying, beyond the contour of the case 1, a platform22,-

hereinafter referred to as the rear perch.

- Rods 17 are pivoted at their lower ends in the platform portion 15 ofthe tiltable member 14, the upper ends of the rods 17 being pivotallyconnected with the lugs 6 of the front door 6, above the rod 5. uponwhich the front door is pivotally suspended. Other rods 18 are pivotallyconnected at their lower ends with the nest portion 15 of the tiltablemember 14, the upper ends of the rods 18 being fashioned intorectangularly disposed hooks 18, adapted to register removably in thelugs 9- of the rear door 9, about the rod 8 upon which the rear door ispivotally supported. Retractilesprings,

preferably of the helical type, are connected at their upper ends withthe case 1, adjacent the top of the case, springs 19 being connectedwith thenest portion 16 of the'tiltable member 1 1.

A bail 23 isprovided, the ends of which mounted in the side walls of thecase 1. The intermediate portion 25 of the bail 23,- is adapted toextend across the front door 6, there beinglugs 24 upon the front door,with which lugs the intermediate portion 25 of the'bail 23 is adapted tointerlock, under circumstances which will be pointed outhereinafter.

Let it be supposed that it is desired that the lower ends of the ananimal shall enter the nest at one end,

and depart from the nest at the other end,

the construction being such that the laying hens will be compelled topass out the case 1 Ma different end from that through which they enter,thereby separating the laying hens from the non-laying hens. Under suchcircumstances, the o eration of the device is as follows: The ail 23 isswung upserveas a means for 19 under tension.

door 6 into open 7 locking the front. door 6; The springs 19, tiltingthe nest end 16 of the member 14upwardly, will depress the platform, end15 ofthe member 14, the rods 17 tiltiiig the front door 6 upon the rod5, into an open position. The elevatin of the nest x em- 16 of thetiltable mem er 14, through the action ofthe springs- 19, willserve,.;to. swing the rear door 9 into closed position. The hen,enteringthrough the open front door-way 4, willpass from the front perch15 into the nest 16, thereby de'- pressing-the nest, and putting thesprings ber l l will serve to elevate the portionflfi.

of the member 14:, thereby swinging" the front door 6 into a closedposition. The depression of the nest end 16 of the member 14 due to thepresence of the hen in the nest, will cause the rear door 9 to swinginto open position. When the hen leaves the nest, and steps from therear perch22, the springs 19 will elevate the nest end 16 of the member14', causing an elevation of the nest end 16 of the member 14, therebywinging the rear door 9 into closed position The consequent depressionof the platform 15 of the tiltable member li will operate to swing thefront position, whereupon the nest will be positioned for further occu py- In case it is desired to employ the nest as a trap nest, the bail 23isswung downwardly, until its intermediate portion 24 rests upon thefront door 6, the front door being in open position. The upper ends ofthe rods 18 are removed from the openings in the lugs 9 of the. reardoor 9, the said rods being permitted to drop downwardly, to one side ofthe nest 15. 'When the animal enters the front door-way 4, and passesinto the nest 16, the front door 6 will be swung into closed posi 'on,the intermediate portion 25 of the bail 2 engaging beneath the lugs 24which are upon the door 6, the door 6 being thus held ln closedposition. Howeve owing to the fact that the rods 18 have beendisconnected f om the rear door 9, the rear door 9 will not be opened bythe depres sion of the nest 16, when the hen enters the same. Under suchcircumstances, the-hen will remain entrapped within the nest, until oneor the other of the doors is opened manually.

The foregoing operation presupposes that the door 9 is sufficientlyheavy so that the hen cannot readily push thedoor 9. into an openposition. In any event, the device will act efficiently as a trap nest,since'the hen will not be likely to force open a closed barrier, such asthe door 9. The device may likewise be so manipulated that the lien willbe compelled to enter the nest through the This'tilting of the mem-"front door-way 4, and to depart from the nest in the same way. Undersuch circunr stances, the bail 23 is swung upwardly across the lid 2,and the rods 18 are disconnected from the rear door 9, in the manner'hereinbefore described. Under such circumstances, the rear door 9 willremain continually closed, the front door 6 to be closed when the henenters the nest, and being opened when the hen leaves the nest.

nder such circumstances, it is desirable to remove the fulcrum rod 12from the forward openings 10 and to insert the rod in the rear openings11.. This operation gives the platform end 15 of the tiltable longerpower arm, whereby the weight of .the hen upon the platform 15 will berendered more effective to depress the platform end of the tiltablemember, wherebyat 15 the springs 19 will effect an opening of the frontdoor 6.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is case; verticallyswinging front and rear doors pivoted intermediate their ends to thecase; a tiltablevmember disposed within the case, and pivotedintermediate its ends to .the case, one end of the tiltable member being extended beyond the rear end of the case; a retractile springconnected at its upper end to the case, and connected at its lower endwith the tiltable member, between thefulcrum of the tiltable member andthe rear end of the case; a connection pivotally uniting one end of thetiltable member with the front door, above the pivotal mounting of saiddoor; a connection pivotally united with the tiltable member, adjacentthe other end of said tiltable member, the said connections beingdetachably secured to the rear door,

\ dered inoperable,

her; and a bail terminally pivoted to the case and having itsintermediate portion extended across the front door, there being arojec- 'tien upon said front door, with which the intermediate portionof the bail is adapted to interlock.

prising a case; a tiltable member fulcrumed intermediate its endS in thecase; a rear'door for the case, a front of said. doors being verticallmovable in a separatehconnections between of the tiltable member andsaid by the tilting of said member tion will 0 close the ot the tiltablemember with the rear door, detachably secured to said door, whereby;said door only may be rendered inoperable opposite ends doors, where- 1none direcby the tiltable member; means for elevating member 14 a 1. In adevice of the class described,; a

2. Adevice of the class described com erate to open one door and to, er,the connection wh1ch unitea being;

.above the pivotal mounting of said door, whereby the rear door may befen-Q at will, by the tiltable memdoor for the case; both commondirection with the ti table member ing a case; a tiltable memberfulcrumed intermediate its endsin the case; front and rear doors for thecase; both of said doors being pivotally supported upon the case,intermediate their ends, and both of said doors having vertical swingingmovement; separate connections directly uniting the doors with oppositeends of the pivotal member, whereby but one door at a time will be main-I tained in closed position; and means for elevatin one end of thepivotal member.

4. device of the class described comprising a case; a tiltable memberfulcrumed intermediate its ends in the case; vertically swinging doorspivoted to opposite ends of 'the case; separate connections between thedoors andrthe tiltable member, on opposite sides of the fulcrum of thetiltable member whereby swinging movement will be imparted to the doorsalternately, by the tiltable member; and means located above thetiltable member for elevating one end of the tiltable member. 5. Adevice of the class described comprising a case; a tiltable memberfulcrumed intermediate its ends in the case; one end of the tiltablemember being extended beyond one end of'the case; vertically swingingdoors pivoted to opposite ends of the case; means for operativelyconnecting the doors with the tiltable member, upon opposite sides ofits fulcrum; and means for maintaining/40 one end of the tiltable membernormally up lifted.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES s. JORDAN.

Witnesses:

HARRY BURNETT, EMMITT L. Goonwm.

